Investigation of the neural correlates of mentalizing through the Dynamic Inference Task, a new naturalistic task of social cognition

Henry, Audrey; Raucher‐Chéné, Delphine; Obert, Alexandre; Gobin, Paméla; Vucurovic, Ksenija; Barrière, Sarah; Sacré, Séverine; Portefaix, Christophe; Gierski, Fabien; Caillies, Stéphanie; Kaladjian, Arthur

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118499

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…People approach problems in a number of ways, including through the use of analogical thinking to understand a current situation (Parsons and Davies, 2022), and procedural strategies to resolve problems (Sokolowski et al, 2023). Other research looks at how a person makes inferences while speaking (Jara-Ettinger and Rubio-Fernandez, 2021) to fill in gaps in knowledge, or uses social cues to learn the intentions of another (Henry et al, 2021). Some research studies the brain as it experiences "insight" versus ordinary problem solving, by gauging whether people approach problems using simple visual networks compared with higher order thinking networks (Lin et al, 2021).…”

Section: Problem-solving and The Brainmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Theory of Mental Frameworks

Tokuhama-Espinosa,

Simmers,

Batchelor

et al. 2023

Front. Psychol.

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Problem-solving skills are highly valued in modern society and are often touted as core elements of school mission statements, desirable traits for job applicants, and as some of the most complex thinking that the brain is capable of executing. While learning to problem-solve is a goal of education, and many strategies, methodologies, and activities exist to help teachers guide the development of these skills, there are few formal curriculum structures or broader frameworks that guide teachers toward the achievement of this educational objective. Problem-solving skills have been called “higher order cognitive functions” in cognitive neuroscience as they involve multiple complex networks in the brain, rely on constant rehearsal, and often take years to form. Children of all ages employ problem solving, from a newborn seeking out food to children learning in school settings, or adults tackling real-world conflicts. These skills are usually considered the end product of a good education when in fact, in order to be developed they comprise an ongoing process of learning. “Ways of thinking” have been studied by philosophers and neuroscientists alike, to pinpoint cognitive preferences for problem solving approaches that develop from exposure to distinct models, derived from and resulting in certain heuristics used by learners. This new theory paper suggests a novel understanding of the brain’s approach to problem solving that structures existing problem-solving frameworks into an organized design. The authors surveyed problem-solving frameworks from business administration, design, engineering, philosophy, psychology, education, neuroscience and other learning sciences to assess their differences and similarities. This review lead to an appreciation that different problem-solving frameworks from different fields respond more or less accurately and efficiently depending on the kinds of problems being tackled, leading to our conclusion that a wider range of frameworks may help individuals approach more varied problems across fields, and that such frameworks can be organized in school curriculum. This paper proposes that explicit instruction of “mental frameworks” may help organize and formalize the instruction of thinking skills that underpin problem-solving–and by extension–that the more such models a person learns, the more tools they will have for future complex problem-solving. To begin, this paper explains the theoretical underpinnings of the mental frameworks concept, then explores some existing mental frameworks which are applicable to all age groups and subject areas. The paper concludes with a list of five limitations to this proposal and pairs them with counter-balancing benefits.

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Section: Problem-solving and The Brainmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Theory of Mental Frameworks

Tokuhama-Espinosa,

Simmers,

Batchelor

et al. 2023

Front. Psychol.

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“…Socio-cognitive processes such as mentalizing consist of a complex network of interrelated and interdependent neural mechanisms. This "mentalizing system" includes the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the temporal parietal junction (TPJ), the superior temporal sulcus (STS), and anterior temporal lobes (Frith & Frith, 2006;Henry et al, 2021). This network has been shown to be activated during tasks in which participants infer or identify others' mental states (De Lange et al, 2008;Henry et al, 2021;Spunt et al;.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This "mentalizing system" includes the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the temporal parietal junction (TPJ), the superior temporal sulcus (STS), and anterior temporal lobes (Frith & Frith, 2006;Henry et al, 2021). This network has been shown to be activated during tasks in which participants infer or identify others' mental states (De Lange et al, 2008;Henry et al, 2021;Spunt et al;. Moreover, mentalizing processes have been associated not only with increased activity in these areas, but also with enhanced functional connectivity between them (Bogels et al, 2015;Seymour et al, 2018;Abu-Akel & Shamay-Tsoory, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theta Synchronization as a Neural Marker of flexible (re-)use of socio-cognitive mechanisms for a new category of (artificial) interaction partners

Parenti¹,

Navare²,

Marchesi³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Previous work shows that in some instances artificial agents, such as robots, can elicit higher-order socio-cognitive mechanisms, similar to those elicited by humans. This suggests that these socio-cognitive mechanisms, such as mentalizing processes, originally developed for interaction with other humans, might be flexibly (re-)used, or “hijacked”, for approaching this new category of interaction partners (Wykowska, 2020). In this study, we set out to identify neural markers of such flexible reuse of socio-cognitive mechanisms. We focused on fronto-parietal theta synchronization, as it has been proposed to be a substrate of cognitive flexibility in general (Fries, 2005). We analyzed EEG data from two experiments (Bossi et al., 2020; Roselli et al., submitted), in which participants completed a test measuring their individual likelihood to adopt the intentional stance towards robots, the intentional stance (IST) test. Our results show that participants with higher scores on the IST, indicating that they had higher likelihood of adopting the intentional stance towards a robot, had a significantly higher theta synchronization value, relative to participants with lower scores on the IST. These results suggest that long-range synchronization in the theta band might be a marker socio-cognitive process that can be flexibly applied towards non-human agents, such as robots.

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“…The social brain is commonly understood to encompass a network of brain regions that facilitate our ability to perceive and assess emotions, feelings, persistent traits, and actions of others. Moreover, it enables us to comprehend their intentions, desires, and beliefs ( 9 - 11 ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural Correlates of Social Decision-Making

Labutina,

Polyakov,

Nemtyreva

et al. 2023

IJPS

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Objective: Recent studies have utilized innovative techniques to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying social and individual decision-making, aiming to understand how individuals respond to the world. Method: In this review, we summarized current scientific evidence concerning the neural underpinnings of social decision-making and their impact on social behavior. Results: Critical brain regions involved in social cognition and decision-making are integral to the process of social decision-making. Notably, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and temporoparietal junction (TPJ) contribute to the comprehension of others' mental states. Similarly, the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) shows heightened activity when individuals observe faces and movements. On the lateral surface of the brain, the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and inferior parietal sulcus (IPS) play a role in social cognition. Furthermore, the medial surface of the brain, including the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and anterior insula (AI), also participates in social cognition processes. Regarding decision-making, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have illuminated the involvement of a network of brain regions, encompassing the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), ventral striatum (VS), and nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Conclusion: Dysfunction in specific subregions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been linked to various psychiatric conditions. These subregions play pivotal roles in cognitive, emotional, and social processing, and their impairment can contribute to the development and manifestation of psychiatric symptoms. A comprehensive understanding of the unique contributions of these PFC subregions to psychiatric disorders has the potential to inform the development of targeted interventions and treatments for affected individuals.

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Investigation of the neural correlates of mentalizing through the Dynamic Inference Task, a new naturalistic task of social cognition

Cited by 8 publications

References 77 publications

A Theory of Mental Frameworks

A Theory of Mental Frameworks

Theta Synchronization as a Neural Marker of flexible (re-)use of socio-cognitive mechanisms for a new category of (artificial) interaction partners

Neural Correlates of Social Decision-Making

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